Southern Baptists Condemn ‘Alt-Right White Supremacy’

At an annual convention, about 5,000 Southern Baptists voted to show their opposition to the “alt-right” Wednesday.

The vote against the alt-right, a movement that has been tied to white supremacy, came after it was previously decided a similar legislation would not be voted on the day before, according to the Washington Post. Barrett Duke, chairman of the church’s resolutions committee, told Religion News Service that the initial resolution was “too open-ended” and could be misinterpreted.

“I saw people identifying themselves as Southern Baptist and members of the alt-right, so this is horrifying to me,” said Dwight McKissic, a Southern Baptist pastor from Texas, who introduced the legislation. “I wanted the Southern Baptist Convention to make it very clear we have no relationship to them.”

Southern Baptists voted the day before to condemn gambling and Planned Parenthood, the Post reported. They also showed support for public officials with “consistent moral character” and leaders “who choose not to meet privately with members of the opposite sex who are not their spouse.”

Vice President Mike Pence drew attention, both positive and negative, when he said he follows a similar rule in his life.